Primrose
by littlemisswizard
Summary: Katniss Everdeen is a tribute in the 74th Hunger Games, leaving her younger sister Primrose to fend for herself. This story is about a walk in the woods, a strange boy, and a friendly goat. Simply put, this is Prim's journey.
1. Prologue

**Hello all, I'm littlemisswizard! This is one of my first fics, so I'm awfully sorry if any of the formatting is wrong or something. Please tell me what you make of my craziness! I love the Hunger Games, and I wanted to do a retelling of the story from Prim's point of view. I have added a few characters here and there and did my own version of Prim's ****storyline while still trying to honor the story the book already had. I tried to remain accurate. I hope you tell me what you think of it! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the wonderful world of Prim! :) **

**Beware, what you are about to read is only the prologue. **

**Also: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES. I am just a loyal fan, who is very interested in the world of Panem.**

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><p>My throat felt like it was on fire.<p>

I gasped for air, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. I needed to breathe, I needed to calm my tense muscles, I needed to relax. This was all just a nightmare. I would wake up in my firm bed with those thin sheets, the chilly wind whispering through our house in the Seam. My sister would hold me tight, sing me a lullaby, and I would be asleep again.

I gripped the body that held me upward. I gripped the body so tight that my knuckles lost all feeling, and I finally dropped and let the person carry me away. I could still hear Effie Trinket's chirpy voice singing, "Primrose Everdeen!" I could still feel the emotions surging out of all of those girls that backed away from me, as if I was untouchable. And then there was my sister, brave and striking with her sharp features and dark hair, who was gone.

My mind was flying, colors and shapes blurry in my line of vision. I felt air escaping my lungs, and I pressed my eyes closed, willing myself to not pass out. What had just happened? Katniss couldn't be gone, she couldn't be on a train to the Capital. She couldn't be a tribute in the 74th Annual Hunger Games.

I had just visited her. My throat had still worked, I had still been able to scream out her name. She told me she would try to win, and she would be back home soon enough.

I barely had enough strength in me to cry. I was enveloped in Gale's strong arms, as he carried me back home to our little dark house in the Seam. Peacekeepers in their daunting uniforms surrounded us, making sure we went straight home and didn't make a run to save Katniss. She told me she would try to survive. My big sister always told the truth, that's why I looked up to her so much. She always seemed to have the answers. When it comes to staying alive in an arena with 24 tributes, all fighting to the death?

Nobody had all the answers.

My mother walked beside Gale and I. She walked straight ahead, silently, her blue-grey eyes locked on the house. She didn't make a move to comfort me. She wasn't my mother anymore, she was a stranger. Everyone moving around me was a stranger. My world was smashing into pieces in front of my eyes.

I believed then, that I had lost my mind to some degree, and all I needed was a good night's sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

The distant sound of a mockingjay woke me up from my thick slumber.

I opened my eyes, finding that the world I woke up to was a little blurry. The black ceiling of our house in the Seam greeted me as usual, feeble threads of sunlight pushing through our grimy windows. I licked a finger and dragged it across the must window glass, leaving a crystal clear trail behind. Peeking through the clear spot, I could see the lines of men in their grey, baggy uniforms marching to the coal mines, their limbs dragging against the ground to prove that they really didn't want to be going anywhere except home. A few lone peacekeepers who must still be in town from the procession guiding my family home last night barked at the mineworker's backs, ordering them to press forward and mine for the Capitol, mine for President Snow.

At the sight of the angry peacekeepers, I was jerked back into reality. I flipped around, finally taking in the sight of my mother's shrunken figure bending over the dying fire, which steamed in our fireplace. Buttercup, the sweetest cat in the world, was curled up next to me in the folds of the sheets that usually conceal my sister. Collapsing onto her pillow, holding it tightly and smelling the sharp smell of her damp hair from the night before, I was too full of emotion to even cry. It was true, she was really gone.

My mother turned around from her seat across the room at the sound of the blankets shifting. "Good morning." She said softly, her lips barely moving. Her eyes barely met mine, and instead fluttered to the ancient table we owned, the only table we owned. On the surface of the table lay a bowl of Katniss roots from our stash that my sister must have picked at least a couple months ago. The roots made me think of her, the way she shoved me aside yesterday, how she was going to most likely die in a couple of weeks. I seized the roots and shoveled them down my throat before I could reduce to tears again.

The sight of food also made me think about what the leaving of my sister meant for my family. We would need to scavenge for food on our own. Katniss could hunt and hunt she did, bringing back squirrels and rabbits, edible bits of plants, even a deer now and then. When I got to speak to her for the last time, she told me to use my beautiful goat Lady. I could sell cheese, I could buy meat, and I could make do. My mother wasn't going to do anything to help with the food situation and I knew that. I glanced over to her thin frame, which stood in the doorway to our house, watching silently as the mineworkers marched by. Katniss said that Gale would bring us food; she said that Gale would help us. Maybe I should rely on him for now.

The rest of the day slinked by. It was an ordinary Saturday. I did everything in my power to not think of my sister, to not think about the dreaded future, to not think about all of the struggles my family is said to go through the next couple of weeks during the annual Hunger Games. I sat on my bed, right where Katniss usually sleeps, my hands entangled in Buttercup's frizzy pale fur. I took a broken comb from our tin tub and combed out every knot I stumbled on. Once the knots were taken care of, I combed Buttercup again. And again. I combed through her so many times she began to look like a wild animal, her features shrinking into her now shiny mane. I didn't have anything to do. I didn't want to think about hunting. I could never shoot a weak, innocent animal. I couldn't think about anything, or my emotions would swallow me up.

At the same time, I couldn't sit still forever. Maybe my mother could, but my sister had given me a mission. Gale still hadn't come by our house, so I decided I was going to do something about it. Just the thought of breaking the Capitol's rules even in the slightest way made my heart start pounding, my fingers trembling. I tried to gently set the comb back in the tin tub, but I was shaking so much that it fell and clanked loudly when it reached the bottom.

I pulled my hair into two pigtails, braiding them in the same way that Katniss used to do. It didn't look as good as when her delicate hands did them, but it was all I had. I put on a simple white shirt and grey skirt, which strangely blended in with the grey sky and clouds.

"Tuck your tail in Little Duck."

I remembered how my sister used to always tuck in the tail of my shirts for me, smiling sweetly as her nimble fingers fiddled with my collar. My mother perched near a window as usual, watching me with careful eyes and still lips as I tucked in my own tail. I took a shaky breath, willing myself to believe that Katniss was still there with me. I was still, and will always be her Little Duck. A slight change in the games wasn't going to affect that.

"I'll be back soon." I reminded my mother, finding that my voice was quiet and hoarse, and it was painful to speak. "Alright…" My mother's eyes trailed on me as I opened our front door and stepped into the silver sunlight.

"Stay safe."

I was halfway out the door. I turned back, noticing that there were clear tears in my mother's eyes, willing to dribble down her cheeks at any given time. My heart felt suddenly heavy, and I realized how hard it must be for my mother to have lost her husband, be losing her daughter, and then even having the possibility to lose another daughter. The pang of sympathy I felt was extinguished at once when I remembered how Katniss treated my mother when they said her goodbyes. She demanded for her to not cry, and to take care of me. It seemed like my mother had already disobeyed both of those rules.

I quickly nodded and shut the door behind me. Making my way down the cobblestone street, past the small houses, past the frail townspeople of District 12. I hoped I would find my way all right, because I had only gone with Katniss once.

I was taking a walk in the woods.


	3. Chapter 2

I stood in front of the high chain link fence complete with barbed wire loops, my hands at my sides and my head held high. I felt so small and powerless compared to the towering fence, even though just as my sister had always assured me, it wasn't on. I couldn't hear the sound of buzzing electricity, so I assumed it was safe. This would be my first time venturing anywhere outside of District 12 alone.

My eyes flickered over the fence, which spread out on either side of me for as far as I could see, up and down the winding slopes and parched land of our district. If I touched the fence, would it suddenly zap me with electricity? Was this some sort of trap, making the fence look completely innocent when it could really electrocute you in a mere second? I tried to take deep breaths to ease my flipping stomach and quickened heartbeat, but it barely worked.

My sister Katniss always passed through the fence. I remember her whispering to me one night that there was just one little hole in the fence that she used as her gateway. Over time, the hole grew alongside Katniss and Gale who depended on it to let them hunt. Glancing around, I realized the hole was very noticeable indeed. It was pretty close to the ground, and about 2 feet tall. It was rather narrow, with bits and pieces of broken but still very sharp wire branching out from either side. I grimaced, gripping the ends of my shirt, which had fallen out of their neatly tucked state in my skirt from the walk over.

"Tuck your tail in Little Duck."

I tucked my tail in forcefully. This was my time to be brave. I wouldn't get caught after all; Katniss and Gale were never caught. And even if I was, I wasn't planning on actually hunting in the woods was I?

Ducking as gracefully as I could muster, I clambered through the patchy hole in the wire. My braids caught on a few loose edges, and I shrieked with the sudden pain. Clapping my hands over my mouth I managed to slide out into the field beyond District 12 rather safely, twisting both my braids back into a bun as I went. The field lying before me was somewhat cheerful, with a few flowers peeping up from the dark grass and pesky weeds. I picked a flower from its stem, a nice one with silky petals the color of sunshine. I tucked it behind one of my ears, my heart rising with sudden curiosity, and began to dash through the field and into the forest in front of me.

I had never felt so free.

Maybe this was why my sister loved the forest so much.

I was alone, just me amongst the mockingjays. They mocked my footsteps, crooning odd little tunes that they could have picked up from every place imaginable. The gentle sounds of my feet skipping across the forest floor calmed me, proving that I was the only one in the forest for miles around.

In one clearing, I noticed a family of deer grazing on a spot of grass, the grass being a vivid color of green. That must be the shade of healthy grass. I had never seen such grass in my entire life.

I peered from behind a thick tree, walking the deer family silently. I watched as one of the bigger ones bent down gracefully, her eyes twitching along with the sweet smelling breeze. There were two fawns, and they were gorgeous animals with their spotted hide and huge eyes.

It disturbed me when I realized that these deer were the creatures that Katniss brought home every now and then for a special surprise. Their meat was juicy, their hide quick to trade. I remember being younger, possibly 8 years old, and being so thrilled at all the meat and beautiful skin Katniss had brought home. The meat was delicious, the taste rich and indescribable.

I found myself stuck to the tree, my hands gripping the trunk very tightly. I was in a state of shock. How could Katniss hurt these innocent creatures? She shot them between the eyes, as she was famous for, before bringing them for our family to eat. I've eaten deer; I've eaten it many times.

My stomach was churning, and I had to wipe my clammy palms on my skirt before I could continue on. That was it, I couldn't hunt any animals. What was I doing in this forest anyway?

Katniss. She must be in the Capital right now, perhaps settling down for her first lunch amongst her prep team, her mentor, and that Peeta Mellark. I was in the woods, her favorite place on earth, the only place she could be herself. I felt like I had been allowed through some trapdoor so I could really see the woman Katniss was. This was her hideaway, this was her playground, this was her special spot. I had never felt so connected to her, as if I finally understood what she went through to provide food for out family, to be the mother I never had.

I came across another clearing. It was small, just a spot full of smooth rocks and surrounded by a circle of trees which seemed to go up so high they supported the transparent bases of the clouds. I sat down upon a rock, fingering the flower in my hair. I wish Katniss were here with me now. She always knew which kinds of plants were edible and which weren't, and what animals were safe. She could always tell what was food for her family. She would take one look at the flower in my hair and tell me I was beautiful, far more pretty than she could ever be. I knew that was a lie because my sister was the prettiest woman in all of District 12.

Sitting on that rock, the world was my oyster. A mockingjay landed on a branch nearby. I smiled softly at it, trying to blink away the tears that had arouse with the memory of my struggling sister. The mockingjay sang a sweet little melody, which made me giggle, and I was smiling through my tears. Raising my head, standing up alongside the branch that balanced the mockingjay, I began to sing along. It was just four simple notes, repeating over and over. Katniss used to tell me that our father used to always explain how the simplest melodies could sometimes move people the most. I didn't know how, but somehow I now understood what he meant.

"That was very pretty." I nodded at the mockingjay and grinned again. He was my friend, that little mockingjay. He sang the four note melody right back at me as if it was a reply, before taking off like a bullet into the woods.

I frantically whipped around at the noise of leaves crunching on the forest floor. I backed further into the forest, one hand still on the flower in my hair. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, and feel my legs shaking. I was caught.

The crunching stopped as suddenly as it had started. From behind a tree opposite me, a small figure stepped out. It was a boy with dark hair and grey eyes, clearly marking that he was from the Seam.


	4. Chapter 3

"Hi."

I took a slow step backward, eyes still locked on the boy. His hands were still attached to the tree in which he had appeared from behind. He was making shy eye contact with me, looking a bit nervous himself. However, I was completely terrified at the sight of another human in the woods. Had he been following me?

"What are you doing here?" I managed to choke out, finding that my voice was trembling.

"Don't worry." The boy replied somewhat gently, stepping forward towards me, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Now that he was closer to me, I got a better look at me. He looked around my age, short and scrawny with a blue tattered shirt and a filthy black coat on top of it. His pants were once white, but now are yellowed and torn. He was barefoot.

"I heard you singing to the Mockingjays." He said softly. His eyes were electric blue, brighter than any sky I had ever seen in my life. I kept stepping backward, making sure there was a comfortable distance between us.

"You have an incredible voice." He continued, looking as if he meant to say more but decided against it. I was flattered, but I still didn't know what to make of this boy.

"You're Primrose Everdeen aren't you?"

I swallowed hard, "Yes I am. Who are you?"

"Everyone calls me Blue. Its because of my eyes." He laughed, fingering the end of his shirt, "My family never gave me a name."

My eyes widened. "Your family never gave you a name?"

He shook his head, looking slightly bashful, "Never. My dad ran off before I could meet him, and my mother died while giving birth to me."

An awful feeling surfaced in the pit of my stomach, how terrible it must feel to be going through life, every day, not knowing who you truly are. I didn't understand why this boy was opening up to me like this, when all he knew about me was that I was Primrose Everdeen.

"I watched the Reaping yesterday, with your sister Katniss. She must be an extremely brave girl and incredible sister if she volunteered for you."

That explains everything. How he knew my name, the pity in his eyes, the way he was speaking so gently to me. He knew me as a coward, the one who was pulled away from the Reaping while screaming and crying hysterically.

I felt the sudden urge to stand up for myself. "Katniss is the greatest sister in the world. I just wish I had the opportunity to volunteer for her back, because I don't…I don't know what my family will do without her.

Blue nodded, and sat on a rock next to where I was timidly standing, "It's the same problem in my family too. With Honesty gone, and Celine married, its just me."

I turned to him, sitting on a rock across from his. Why was I now opening up to this strange boy? His bright blue eyes were so calming, so trusting, so hopeful. I felt like he had come to me in order to listening to my problems, to console me. I tried to not think about the possibility of him following me through the woods for the past hour or so.

"You need more food?"

I quickly looked up at Blue. He looked expectant, waiting for an answer. "Yes." I said absentmindedly, "What are you planning to do about it?"

As an answer, he held up a small slingshot. The wood was worn and looked like it had been used many times. Mud was caked around the handle and the material that composed the string part was frayed.

"I can help with that."

I followed Blue into the woods, unsure of why we were walking in the first place. I was so mixed up. It felt like it had been a week since Katniss was taken away from me, leaving me a confused mess. My feelings and emotions were flying wildly, my sanity stolen. Why was I following Blue? I had no reason to trust him so much.

Blue carried the slingshot bravely in front of him, picking up stray rocks as we made our way deeper and deeper into the forest. After a while of following him silently, I was composed enough to speak up.

"Why are you helping me?"

Blue turned, lowering his slingshot and closing his dirty fingers around the handful of rocks. There was a long moment of silence, as we eyed each other. I could see in his vivid eyes that he didn't want to answer.

"It's a long story." He replied finally, biting his lip and avoiding eye contact.

"Fine!" I said with a slight smile, plopping down on a log and folding my arms on my lap, "I've got the time."

"My mother died when I was born, leaving me with my older sisters Honesty and Celine. Celine spent every minute that she could with her love, while Honesty took care of the family by raising goats and selling their cheese. She made money, bought food for the family, and basically brought me up. Then I turned 10, the day before the 73rd Annual Hunger Games and…"

Blue took a shaky breath.

"My sister Honesty was chosen as a District 12 tribute. Of course nobody really paid any attention to her because she was from District 12. Nobody figured she had any chance of winning, but I was hopeful."

I looked up at him, seeing the tragedy in his eyes. I knew what was coming.

"My sister was brave and strong. Sure, she raised goats but she was tall and had very broad shoulders. She got a high training score, and I expected she would come out of the arena. She was special, she was different, and I know…I know she had it in her to win."

Wiping the corner of his eye hurriedly, Blue continued with a hollow voice, "Meanwhile back at home my sister Celine lost all hope for our family, ran off to live with her lover, and left me alone at home. That's not what Honesty wanted at all. She had told Celine to take care of me, to take care of the goats, to keep our family alive. And then Celine ran off like she did and…"

Blue shook his head and buried his face in his arms. I reached over and patted his back awkwardly. His voice was muffled, but he continued.

"I took care of the goats. I fed them scraps and sold their cheese in order to get food. This time, it was only food to feed myself. Meanwhile, I had school and I was required to watch the games. It was overwhelming for me, and I failed at raising the goats. They died."

Blue took a shaky breath, sitting back up. His cheeks were ruddy and stained with tears. My heart was aching for him, and I almost didn't want him to continue telling the story like this.

"Honesty died." He whispered, his fingers trembling as they twisted in his lap, "She was killed by the Careers. She was so close to shooting them too, perched in a tree with her bow and arrow at the ready. She would have shot them, she didn't have to die…" His voice trailed off and he swallowed, "But then a tribute climbed her tree and came from behind with a knife, and just…" He motioned weakly as if he was stabbing someone, and hid his face again. I sat there, horror filling the pit of my stomach. Katniss.

"I've barely kept myself alive all of these years." He explained once he regained control, feebly fingering his slingshot, "I am pretty handy with this slingshot and since there's only one mouth to feed, it makes things a little easier for myself." He looked up at me, his blue eyes making strong eye contact with my own.

"When I saw your sister volunteer at the Reaping, it reminded me of Honesty. We had the same relationship you and your sister did, and if I had been chosen at the Reaping, she would have volunteered for me. I'm sure of it."

I saw how his face light up at the mention of Katniss, as if the sun had slid out from behind a cloud. "Katniss reminded me so much of Honesty. She gave me up, like Honesty was back again with a second chance." He said softly, looking back down at the slingshot clutched in his palm, "You reminded me of myself. We have a second chance."

Tears were in my eyes, cold ones that were threatening to spill over at any given moment. I sat back, eyeing Blue silently.

"Listen Primrose." He said firmly leaning forward slightly, "I came into the woods to hunt and found you. You were trying to do the same weren't you?"

"I suppose" I managed to squeak out, "I needed food and Gale didn't bring my family any as Katniss had promised."

Blue didn't question what I had said, "Don't give up. No matter how bad the arena can be, no matter how hurt your sister gets, you can hold on. Katniss has the spark that I saw in my sister, but the way she volunteered for you…" Blue shook his head, "I think she's the bravest girl District 12 has. I believe in her, and I can see her coming out of the arena. I want to help you; I want to help you find food. I don't want anyone to have to go through what I went through while Honesty was in the arena. My last hope while I'm still alive is to live through helping others."

He reached forward, opening the palm of my hand and pressed a yellow flower into it.


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long guys! I've been very busy lately with school, homework, etc. Anyway, here is Chapter 4! I hope you like it! Please review, I'd love to hear what you think!**

We sat by a lazy river, which trickled down the hill feebly, burbling happily as it went along.

I crouched low to the ground; my hands fluttering like fairies from berry to berry as I collected them off of a bush. Blue sat nearby, skinning a squirrel that he had shot multiple times with rocks before killing. I couldn't bear to look at the poor animal with its skin tattered and cut, so I busied myself with the task of collecting berries. Blue had pointed this certain kind out to me. Apparently they weren't poisonous or harmful whatsoever and were fairly healthy, but they tasted good.

Popping a brilliant red berry into my mouth, I picked myself up from my crouch. "Are you done with the squirrel yet?" I inquired, examining the collection of berries that lay smooth on my palm.

"Sorry but no. Be patient, lunch will come soon my lady." Blue imitated a strong Capitol accent, giggling and casting me a superior look. I laughed and shook my head, bending back down to reach the lower parts of the bush for more berries.

Crunch.

When I heard the sound behind us, Blue had already started packing up the squirrel. He stuffed the remaining body parts and skin into the ratty pockets of his coat, seizing the slingshot and making a run towards me. "Grab the berries." He hissed, grabbing my free hand as I closed my other hand around our lunch.

The wind whistled ominously through my ears. "What was the noise?" I gasped, choking for air as we sprinted through the forest, "Where are we going?" Blue was like a ninja, dodging branches and trees, dragging me along behind him. I didn't want to be lead by him into the great unknown but I didn't want to turn back.

"Wherever the wind will take us," was the response I received. Blue paid no attention to me as we ran, and I found myself being flung like a rag doll past bushes and trees. I dashed after him, trying to regain my own control. My arm was being twisted painfully, and I cried out as Blue leaped over a log, bringing my wrist too far forwards. "STOP!" I finally cried, planting my feet firmly on the forest floor.

Blue whipped around to face me, brilliant blue eyes flashing, "Stop what? Come on Prim, we need to move now!"

"Why." I muttered, squeezing fresh tears out of my eyes. They began to spill onto my cheeks, and I couldn't help it any longer. I wrapped my arms around my body, a sweaty palm still closed around the berries. "I am so confused. Where are you taking me?"

"We are running away from the man." Blue reached again for my hand but I turned away, "Someone had spotted us with the food and they will call the peacekeepers or something. We can't trust anyone in the woods Prim! Come on!"

I looked over my shoulder at the forest behind us. It was peaceful and serene; the only sounds were of the birds chirping and the leaves rustling. "What man…" I began to say, before a giant arm reached out from behind a nearby tree and wrapped itself around my waist.

"Primrose Everdeen, what are you doing here?"

Gale's eyes were flashing, his shoulders laden with bags of fresh meat. The smell consumed my lungs and I felt the sting of even more tears appearing. My hands shook like an earthquake, berries dropping to the forest floor left and right. Blue looked wild, standing on a log with his squirrel hanging out of a coat pocket and his slingshot aimed at Gale's forehead. Everything was frozen.

Gale took one look at Blue, and yanked me by the collar. "Come on," He yelled, "You're coming with me."

"NO!" I cried, finding that my throat hurt and my voice trembled even still, "No…"

Gale wouldn't take no for an answer. He grabbed me around my waist again and slung me over his shoulder. I felt the bumpy meat under me, the stench, the heat of the sunlight through the trees, the burning look in Blue's eyes as he watched me being taken away.

I felt hopeless.

I was tired, I was sad, I hadn't thought of Katniss in the past few hours. The walk in the woods had become my escape. Blue had met me for the first time and with him I could be whomever I wanted. He didn't know me. Yet, now I had been yanked back into reality, where I am known as the little girl who was almost in the 74th Annual Hunger Games.


End file.
